Changes in vaping, other substance use, another side effect of COVID-19

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, information about the dangers of vaping was emerging. To investigate the potentially serious health and respiratory implications of vaping, Mayo Clinic researchers wanted to better understand the factors influencing vaping in the community. They were ready to launch a survey of young adults in rural and urban areas when COVID-19 shifted the focus of this survey.

In a recent article in SAGE Open Medicine, the team of investigators report on vaping among adults ages 18-25 during the pandemic and their use of other common substances, such as alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. Inserting a timely additional survey question allowed the team to better understand the effects of compounding daily stresses with a public health crisis.

“As COVID-19 came on the scene, it was primarily thought to have severe respiratory implications,” says Pravesh Sharma, M.D., a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, and the study’s lead author. “Since…